Hello everyone! My name is Theresa & I participated in LOG throughout high school. My participant was #69 & my co was #91. I am currently a junior at Ball State University studying Elementary Education.
For the last two summers, I have worked for Group Mission Trips leading community service experiences called Week of Hope. There are 12 Week of Hope locations across the United States. Last summer I worked in San Diego, CA & this summer I am in Cincinnati, OH.
“Week of Hope is packed with practical acts of love and service. Students build meaningful connections as they serve people through our strong partnerships with local ministries and nonprofit organizations. They learn Christ-like empathy and compassion for others as they meet the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of disadvantaged children, youth, and adults. As students serve in the name of Jesus, they’ll develop friendships with the people being served, with other teams, with their own youth group, and, most importantly, with Jesus. Denominational differences disappear as like-minded youth work together for a common purpose.”
I used to be a camper at Week of Hope every summer with my youth group, so it was my dream to someday be a Red Shirt. The "Red Shirt" has become iconic and carries with it the weight of expectation, joy, and relationship. Week of Hope has three Red Shirt summer staff positions for each location. You are randomly placed with two other Red Shirts & sent to a Week of Hope location for about 8 weeks. My position is the Program Leader. The Program Leader leads high quality, interactive, & faith building experiences through morning & evening programs. I also serve at the spiritual leader at camp & manage the camp office. There are a lot more aspects to the job, but that’s the gist! This summer I also had the opportunity to be the Program Leader Trainer. I trained all the Program Leaders on how to lead camp in their role.
Joining summer staff for Group Mission Trips has been the best decision I have ever made. Yes it is extremely hard & exhausting, but I wouldn’t trade this job for the world. I have created connections all over the country, shown youth God’s unconditional love, & left a lasting impact on communities. This has become more than a summer job, it is my family